Court hears details of how Cork couple's Valentine's night went 'very wrong'
A Valentine's night out went "very wrong" after a woman was arrested on suspicion of drink-driving and her partner ended up daubing his faeces on a cell wall after he was arrested for public order offences.
Richard O'Donovan, a 24-year-old with an address at Garranes in Bandon in County Cork, daubed his initials on the cell wall, Bandon District Court was told.
Mr O'Donovan pleaded guilty to a public order charge and another charge of criminal damage in the early hour of February 15 last.
Judge James McNulty heard that Mr O'Donovan, originally from Glanmire near Cork city, and his partner had been out for Valentine's night.
His partner was brought into garda custody at the station in Bandon on an alleged drink driving offence and he was waiting in the public foyer.
Sgt Brian Harte, prosecuting, said Mr O'Donovan was highly intoxicated and agitated and was shouting that gardaí were "dirty c**ts" and "corrupt bastards".
He was requested to leave the station and went out onto Weir Street in the town but continued shouting "at the top of his voice" about the gardaí.
At 2.15am he was arrested by a Sgt at the station under the Public Order Act and the court was told he first attempted to evade gardaí before being brought back to the garda station, where he was placed in a cell.
"While in the cell he smeared his own faeces on the back wall," Sgt Harte said, adding that Mr O'Donovan wrote the initials 'RD' on the wall.
The clean-up afterwards cost €150.
His solicitor, Plunkett Taaffe, said Mr O'Donovan wanted to apologise for his behaviour to gardaí and anyone else who witnessed it.
"He had been out for Valentine's Day with his partner and after the meal they went for a drink," Mr Taaffe said.
When his partner was arrested he blamed himself, the solicitor said, and in his drunken state became abusive, having been first told that his partner was being processed.
"He lost it," Mr Taaffe said, adding that his client's behaviour was "utterly out of order".
"He is ashamed and embarrassed to be here," Mr Taaffe said.
The court heard that he had eight previous convictions for minor road traffic offences and that he now fears for his job as a result of any conviction. He and his partner have one child.
Judge McNulty said "some poor person had to clean his faeces off the wall of a cell in the garda station", adding that it was "demeaning to any human" to have to undertake such a task.
Mr O'Donovan admitted that his parents are ashamed of what had happened.
The Judge said his instinct is that Mr O'Donovan should go up to Cork Prison for a few days but Mr Taaffe said his client has learned a lesson and pleaded guilty.
"Maybe he should be spared the prison cell, but it is going to cost him," Mudge McNulty said, stating that the defendant should bring €1,000 to court on May 3 and have his legal fees paid by that date.
He convicted Mr O'Donovan on the charge and deferred penalty, adding: "It is going to be an expensive Valentine's night out gone wrong, gone very wrong."
